Chapter 14
HARPER
Istill can’t believe I asked him to let me stay here.
He was right, last night I was just scared and vulnerable.
I would have said anything to make myself feel even a little safe.
But the truth is, I really do want to stay here and not just because I’m scared.
I want him, I want him like I’ve always wanted him.
Seeing how Warren took care of me last night and how he treated me this morning.
.. I think he still wants me too. The only thing standing in our way now is whatever he thinks I did all those years ago.
Staring into each other’s eyes, I don’t think the moment can get any better.
I want to tell him that whatever he thinks I did, I didn’t do but a knock sounds against the door, followed by a deep voice.
“Open the door, son.” It takes me a moment to digest what is happening and who is on the other side of that door, but when I do, I scurry off of Warren’s lap and wrap myself up in the blanket.
His father is here. I think I’m going to puke.
That man has always given me the creeps.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on his face.
Moving slowly, Warren gets up from the bed and pulls on a pair of shorts.
He takes his time getting to the door and gives me a sympathetic look as he opens it.
Readying myself, I’m fully prepared to jump up, put my clothes on, and run out of the room, but that would mean walking right past his father, and no way am I doing that right now.
Luckily, Warren steps into the doorway, shielding most of his father’s view of me. In fact, he moves into the hall, closing the door almost completely behind him.
“Who is the girl?” is the first thing his father asks.
“No one, now what the hell do you want?” Warren goes on the defensive, and my stomach twists into an angry knot.
“You think you’re a big man now? Need I remind you who bought this house, your car, and pays your tuition? Talk to me like I’m your father and not one of your damn friends.”
There is a brief pause and then Warren speaks again, “What do you want, Dad?” This time, when he replies, he sounds bored rather than angry.
“Who is the girl?” There is a darkness in his father’s voice, and I feel it in my soul. It slithers over my skin, my arms, and chest, wrapping around my throat like a snake.
“I already told you, no one.”
Does his father make a habit of doing this with all the girls Warren sleeps with?
“Let’s see,” he says in a condescending tone. In a flash, the door is shoved open, and Warren’s father’s eyes collide with mine. “She is a no one all right. I thought you’d know better than to mess around with that whore again.”
Whore? Anger pulses through my veins, and I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste the coppery tang of blood.
Warren stares at me with sorrow in his eyes before grabbing the door and pulling it closed.
In an instant, I’m left alone with my thoughts again.
Footsteps sound against the wooden floor, moving away from the bedroom.
Part of me wants to get up and listen, but part of me doesn’t.
I don’t want to hear what his father has to say about me.
I know I’m not a whore. I’ve only ever been with Warren, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to know what he’s saying about me.
As I sit there wrapped in the blanket, I start to shiver.
Even though I’m engulfed in warmth, I still feel cold, so cold.
Why does Warren’s father think so shitty of me?
Is it because we come from different classes?
Because he is rich and I’m poor? Is it because my parents used to work for him before he rudely fired them?
All these questions burn through me, stoking the angry fire in my chest. As I wait for Warren to return, I go to his dresser and find something of his I can wear.
Careful not to rip any of the bandages Warren put on me, I slip into a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants, which I have to roll to keep from falling down.
Finally dressed, I feel much better, and a little less vulnerable.
When Warren finally comes back into the room, he looks pissed, and I’m not sure if his anger is directed at his father or me.
“I’m sorry about him,” he mutters, shoving a frustrated hand through his hair. “He shouldn’t have called you that.”
“I don’t care what he says or thinks about me,” I give him the honest truth. There is something else that affected me much more than being called a whore. Going on the defense isn’t going to help me, I know this, but I’m still burning mad. “You told him I was no one to you.”
Warren’s face falls, “I don’t want my father to know who I care about. He’ll just use it against me.” His tone is already a little calmer as he sits down next to me on the bed. Reaching for my hand, he covers my cold one with his much larger, warm one.
“Why did your father call me a whore?” I ask. Even though I’m not hurt by it, I’m still curious. As if my touch has suddenly burned him, he pulls away.
“Let’s not talk about that today,” he snaps. I sigh in frustration, but let it go because I really don’t have the energy to fight with him right now.
“Can we just crawl back into bed and sleep all day?”
“I don’t know if there will be a lot of sleeping if I crawl back in that bed with you,” he smirks, and I’m glad I didn’t push the question. “How about I cook us something, and we can be lazy and lounge on the couch all day?”
My eyes light up, “Yes, let’s do that.”
Warren makes good on making us some food.
He pops two pizzas in the oven while I try and find something to watch on TV.
It’s been a while since I watched anything, between school and the fact that we could never afford it growing up, I don’t really know what’s decent to watch.
Tossing the remote down, I all but jump out of my skin when the front door opens, and Warren’s roommates come stomping into the house.
“Is that pussy or pizza I smell?” Cameron chuckles.
“It’s going to be a broken nose, and a busted lip you’ll smell if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Warren growls as he appears in the living room.
Easton laughs, and walks into the living room, with Cameron trailing not far behind.
“Dude, you have got to learn to take a joke,” Cameron taunts.
Warren shakes his head and takes the seat next to me while Cameron goes left, and Easton goes right, leaving us in the middle of the two of them.
I can already feel how tense Warren is, his arm wrapping around me possessively. Does he think these two are going to steal me away or something?
“How is Harper doing?” Easton teases, giving me a wink. I’m not sure if I should reply or if that would set him off, so instead, I say nothing.
I run my finger over the edge of the bandaged palm absentmindedly, when Easton’s eyes catch on the movement. He looks down and stops at my bandages. “What happened to your hands?”
“Nothing,” I murmur, not wanting to be reminded of last night, but when I lower my gaze, I catch sight of his hands.
His knuckles are swollen, and the skin is broken in some places.
It looks like he got into a fight, even though his face looks fine, so maybe the fight was one-sided. “What happened to your hands?”
“Nothing,” he echoes my own word, and I decide to be satisfied with that answer just like he was with mine.
“Don’t you two fucks have anything else to do? Girls to stalk or something?”
Easton taps on his chin with his finger, he’s handsome, but not in the same way Warren is. He’s more rugged and unkempt.
“Ahhh, let me think, no. We love annoying you.”
“Why have us as roommates if you hate us so much?” Cameron snickers and the only place this conversation is going is to the jail because Warren is going to beat the piss out of these guys if they don’t go away. I don’t know what it is about him, but Warren is beyond territorial.
“I’m telling you now…” Warren clenches and unclenches his fist.
“Warren…” I whisper into his ear and place my hand against his thigh. “Maybe they want to watch a movie with us? They are your roommates.”
Easton and Cameron say nothing, and Warren stares at me for a long moment, before reaching for the remote. Releasing a sigh, I know I’ve won this fight. As he finds something to watch, I snuggle into his side.
Warren turns on something called Game of Thrones, and the guys immerse themselves in it.
After a short while, I start to fall asleep, but I’m startled awake when they start talking.
I’m drifting in and out of sleep, but I’m pretty sure I hear them saying something about a girl who saw them do something.
Warren tells them to shut up and runs his fingers through my hair.
Easton and Cameron continue to talk, but eventually, their voices get quieter, telling me they’ve left the room. Now that we’re alone, I start to sink deeper like a stone sinking into the dark waters.
Just before I fall off the deep end, I swear I hear Warren say…
I love you, and somehow, that tells me everything is going to be okay.
Even though his dad hates me, and we haven’t exactly been on great terms, I know Warren wants me.
He’s always wanted me, and maybe this is our chance, our chance at forever.